US6513434B1 - On-press recording type lithographic printing method and apparatus - Google Patents
On-press recording type lithographic printing method and apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US6513434B1 US6513434B1 US09/572,433 US57243300A US6513434B1 US 6513434 B1 US6513434 B1 US 6513434B1 US 57243300 A US57243300 A US 57243300A US 6513434 B1 US6513434 B1 US 6513434B1
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- ink
- image
- printing
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- printing plate
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/20—Ink jet characterised by ink handling for preventing or detecting contamination of compounds
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41C—PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES
- B41C1/00—Forme preparation
- B41C1/10—Forme preparation for lithographic printing; Master sheets for transferring a lithographic image to the forme
- B41C1/1066—Forme preparation for lithographic printing; Master sheets for transferring a lithographic image to the forme by spraying with powders, by using a nozzle, e.g. an ink jet system, by fusing a previously coated powder, e.g. with a laser
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/015—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process
- B41J2/04—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating single droplets or particles on demand
- B41J2/06—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating single droplets or particles on demand by electric or magnetic field
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a lithographic printing method involving digital plate-making on a press and a lithographic printing apparatus therefor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plate-making/printing method which comprises performing plate-making with an oil-based ink, followed by printing, and a printing apparatus therefor, whereby a printing plate having a good image quality can be provided and a print having a good image quality can be provided.
- ink receptive areas and ink repellent areas are formed on a surface of a printing plate in accordance with an original image. Printing ink adheres to the ink receptive areas to effect printing.
- hydrophilic areas and oleophilic (ink receptive) areas are formed in image patterns on the surface of a printing plate, and the hydrophilic areas are converted to oil-based ink repellent areas by applying dampening water thereto.
- CTP computer-to-plate
- DDPP digital direct printing plate
- JP-A-4-97848 discloses a method which comprises forming a lipophilic or hydrophilic image on a plate drum which is hydrophilic or lipophilic on the surface thereof instead of the conventional plate cylinder by an ink jet process, and then removing the image after printing to clean the plate drum.
- this method is disadvantageous in that the desired removability of printed image (i.e., cleanability) and press life cannot be accomplished at the same time.
- an ink containing a resin in a relatively high concentration be used.
- the inkjet recording device for forming a printed image uses a resin solution as an ink. Accordingly, the resin can be easily solidified due to the evaporation of solvent at the nozzle, deteriorating the stability in the ejection of ink. As a result, a good image can hardly be obtained.
- JP-A-64-27953 discloses a plate-making method which comprises recording an image of a lipophilic wax ink on a hydrophilic printing plate material by an ink jet recording process.
- this method is disadvantageous in that since the image is formed of a wax, the resulting image area has a reduced mechanical strength.
- This method is also disadvantageous in that the adhesion of the image area to the hydrophilic surface of the printing plate material is insufficient, reducing the press life.
- a first object of the present invention is to provide an on-press recording type lithographic printing method and apparatus for use with a digital recording system requiring no development.
- a second object of the present invention is to provide an on-press recording type lithographic printing method and apparatus capable of providing a large number of prints having sharp images of high quality in a simple and inexpensive manner.
- An on-press recording type lithographic printing method involving an ink jet process which comprises ejecting an oil-based ink onto a printing plate material mounted on the plate cylinder of a press utilizing an electrostatic field according to signals of image data, whereby an image is directly formed on the surface of said printing plate precursor, thereby preparing a printing plate which is then used as it is to effect lithographic printing, characterized in that when any abnormality occurs, the formation of image is suspended and/or the cause of abnormality is removed.
- oil-based ink is a dispersion comprising resin particles which are solid and hydrophobic at least at ordinary temperature dispersed in a nonaqueous solvent having an electrical specific resistance of 10 9 ⁇ -cm or more and a dielectric constant of 3.5 or less.
- An on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus comprising an ink jet recording device provided with a recording head which ejects an oil-based ink utilizing an electrostatic field as an image forming means for directly forming an image on a printing plate material according to signals of image data utilizing an electrostatic field and a lithographic printing means for effecting lithographic printing using a printing plate formed by the image forming means, characterized in that there are provided an abnormality sensing means and/or a means of removing the cause of abnormality and the image forming means is suspended and/or the means of removing the cause of abnormality is operated at least temporarily according to the output from the abnormality sensing means.
- oil-based ink is a dispersion comprising resin particles which are solid and hydrophobic at least at ordinary temperature dispersed in a nonaqueous solvent having an electrical specific resistance of 10 9 ⁇ -cm or more and a dielectric constant of 3.5 or less.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the entire configuration of an embodiment of the on-press recording type monochromatic lithographic printing apparatus used in the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the entire configuration of an embodiment of the recording portion of the on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus used in the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an embodiment of the head provided in the ink jet recording device used in the present invention
- FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a portion in the vicinity of the ink ejection portion of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a portion in the vicinity of the ink ejection portion of another embodiment of the head provided in the ink jet recording device used in the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of a portion in the vicinity of the ink ejection portion of FIG. 5;
- FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an essential part of a further embodiment of the head provided in the ink jet recording device used in the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the head of FIG. 7 from which regulating plates are removed;
- FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an essential part of a still further embodiment of the head provided in the ink jet recording device used in the present invention.
- FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the method for sensing abnormal current to the head, defects in image quality and abnormal shape of meniscus;
- FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the dust sensing device using an optical sensing method
- FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an example of the head protecting cover used in the present invention.
- FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the recording head cleaning device according to the present invention.
- the present invention is characterized in that image formation is carried out by an ink jet recording method in which an oil-based ink is ejected utilizing an electrostatic field onto a printing plate material (printing plate precursor) provided on the plate cylinder of a press.
- the ink jet printing method according to the present invention is disclosed in PCT WO93/11866.
- an ink having a high resistivity having resin particles which are solid and hydrophobic at least at ordinary temperature dispersed in an insulating solvent is used.
- aggregates of the colored particles are formed at the ejection position.
- the aggregates are ejected from the ejection position by an electrostatic device. In this manner, the resin particles are ejected in the form of highly concentrated aggregates, making it possible to print dots on the printing plate precursor to a sufficient thickness.
- image formation can be controlled so as to provide a minuteness and a prolonged press life without clogging the ink head.
- the present invention provides a lithographic printing method and apparatus capable of providing a large number of prints of clear images.
- the resin particles are ejected in the form of highly concentrated aggregates, making it possible to print dots on the printing plate precursor to a sufficient thickness. In this manner, an image made of condensed resin particles having a sufficient press life is formed on the printing plate precursor as a recording medium. Further, since the resin particles are ejected in the form of highly concentrated aggregates and the ejected droplets contain so little solvent components that they can quickly dry, the ink can be prevented from running from the dots on the printing plate, making it possible to form a high precision image.
- the size of the ejected ink droplets is determined by the size of the ejection position, the shape of the electrode and the application condition of the applied electric field.
- minute ink droplets can be formed without reducing the ejection nozzle diameter or the ejection slit width.
- the application condition of the applied electric field By controlling the application condition of the applied electric field, the diameter of dots formed on the printing plate precursor can be controlled.
- the ink jet recording method of the present invention is preferably effected utilizing an electrostatic field so that a strong electric field is acted on the ink to eject the ink.
- the electric field to be applied is preferably about 1 ⁇ 10 5 V/cm or higher.
- the electric field to be applied is preferably about 1 ⁇ 10 8 V/cm or lower. More preferably, the electric field to be applied is from 2 ⁇ 10 5 V/cm to 5 ⁇ 10 8 V/cm.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the entire configuration of an on-press recording type monochromatic single-sided lithographic printing apparatus.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the recording portion including a controller, an ink supplier and a mechanism for moving a head toward or away in the on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus.
- the plate cylinder 11 is usually made of a metal.
- the surface of the plate cylinder 11 is plated with chromium to enhance its abrasion resistance.
- the plate cylinder 11 may have a heat insulator material on the surface thereof as described later.
- the plate cylinder 11 is preferably grounded because it acts as a counterelectrode to an electrode of the ejection head during ejection under an electrostatic field.
- the substrate of the printing plate precursor is a good insulator, it is preferable to provide a conductive layer on the substrate of the precursor.
- the conductive layer is preferably grounded to the plate cylinder.
- a heat insulator is provided on the plate cylinder 11 as described above, recording is more easily accomplished by providing the printing plate precursor with a ground. Examples of the ground employable herein include a known conductive brush, leaf spring, and roller.
- the printing apparatus 1 also has an ink jet recording device 2 which ejects an oil-based ink onto the printing plate precursor 9 mounted on the plate cylinder 11 .
- the ink is ejected in accordance with image data transmitted from an arithmetic and control unit 21 , to thereby form an image on the printing plate precursor.
- the printing apparatus 1 further comprises a dampening water supplier 3 installed therein for supplying dampening water onto the water receptive layer (non-image area) of the printing plate precursor 9 .
- FIG. 1 illustrates a Morton process water supplier as a typical example of the dampening water supplier 3 .
- Other examples of the dampening water supplier 3 employable herein include known apparatus such as synchronous process water supplier and continuous process water supplier.
- the printing apparatus 1 further comprises a printing ink supplier 4 and a fixing device 5 for adhering the oil-based ink image formed on the printing plate precursor 9 .
- a plate surface oil-desensitizing device 6 may be installed depending on the type of printing plate precursor 9 for increasing the hydrophilic properties of the surface of the printing plate precursor 9 as necessary.
- the printing apparatus 1 also has a means 10 for removing dust present on the surface of the printing plate precursor before and/or during the process of recording the image on the printing plate precursor 9 .
- the dust remover include a contact method using a brush or a roller, in addition to a conventional non-contact method involving suction, blowing or electrostaticity.
- the removal method is preferably one that uses suction, blowing or a combination thereof. In this case, an air pump commonly used for paper feeder may be used for this purpose.
- the printing apparatus may comprise a recording head cleaning device 60 according to the present invention.
- the recording head cleaning device 60 will be described later.
- a blanket cleaner 14 and an impression cylinder cleaner 14 ′ may be installed.
- the use of these devices 7 , 8 , 14 and 14 ′ can make the printing operation simpler and shorter, so that the effects of the invention can be further enhanced.
- a paper dust generation inhibiting device (paper dust removing device) 15 may be installed in the vicinity of the plate cylinder 13 , making it possible to prevent paper dust from adhering to the printing plate precursor.
- the paper dust generation inhibiting device 15 can operate by humidity control, suction by air or electrostaticity, or the like.
- the arithmetic and control unit 21 controls the movement of ejection head 22 and the time at which the oil-based ink is ejected and, if desired, the timing of the rotation of the plate cylinder 11 , the blanket cylinder 12 , the impression cylinder 13 , etc.
- a method of preparing a printing plate using the printing apparatus 1 is described below with reference to FIG. 1 and a portion of FIG. 2 .
- the printing plate precursor 9 is first mounted on the plate cylinder 11 using the automatic plate material supplying device 7 .
- the printing plate precursor 9 is brought into close contact with and fixed firmly to the plate cylinder by means of a well-known mechanical device such as a plate end gripping device or an air suction device, or by a well-known electrostatic device. Due to this firm fixation, the end of the plate precursor 9 is prevented from flapping against and damaging the ink jet recording device 2 during the recording process. Also, it is possible to prevent the printing plate precursor 9 from scraping against the ink jet recording device by using an arrangement which brings the printing plate precursor into close contact with the plate cylinder only in the neighborhood of the recording position of the ink jet recording device.
- the arrangement may be, for example, hold-down rollers disposed on both upstream and downstream sides of the recording position of the plate cylinder. Further, an arrangement may be provided such that the end of the printing plate precursor is kept away from the ink supplying roller, making it possible to inhibit stain on the surface of the printing plate and hence reduce the number of sheets of waste paper. Specifically, hold-down rollers, guides, electrostatic attraction, etc. are effective.
- Image data from a magnetic disc device or the like is given to the arithmetic and control unit 21 .
- the arithmetic and control unit 21 then calculates the ejection position of oil-based ink and dot area percentage at the ejection position according to the image data thus inputted.
- the arithmetic data input to the arithmetic and control unit 21 is temporarily stored in a buffer.
- the arithmetic and control unit 21 instructs the rotation of the plate cylinder 11 and, at the same time, switches on an ejection head moving device (recording head moving device) 31 which moves the ejection head 22 towards or away from the plate cylinder 11 .
- the distance between the ejection head 22 and the surface of the printing plate precursor 9 mounted on the plate cylinder 11 is maintained at a predetermined value during recording at a desired value by mechanical distance control, e.g., using a contact roller or by controlling the ejection head moving device 31 in accordance with signals from an optical distance detector.
- a single channel head, multiple channel head or full-line head can be used.
- Main scanning is carried out by rotating the plate cylinder 11 .
- the arranging direction of the ejecting portions is in the axial direction of the plate cylinder 11 .
- the head 22 is moved in the direction parallel to the axis of the plate cylinder every rotation of the plate cylinder 11 .
- the oil-based ink is ejected from the head towards the printing plate precursor 9 mounted on the plate cylinder 11 at a position and with the dot area percentage determined by operations performed by the control unit 21 .
- a dot image with gradations corresponding to the original is recorded with the oil-based ink on the printing plate precursor 9 .
- These operations are continued until the oil-based ink image corresponding to one-color information of the original is formed on the printing plate precursor to prepare a printing plate.
- the plate cylinder performs one rotation, the oil-based ink image corresponding to one-color information of the original is formed to complete a printing plate.
- the plate cylinder is rotated to effect main scanning so that positional precision in the main scanning direction is enhanced and high-speed recording becomes feasible.
- the ejection head 22 is moved away from the position close to the plate cylinder 11 in order to protect the ejection head 22 .
- the ejection head 22 may be moved away from the plate cylinder 11 together with a head subsidiary scanning means 32 or together with the ink supplier 24 and the head subsidiary scanning means 32 .
- an arrangement may be made such that the fixing device 5 and the dust remover 10 can be moved away from the plate cylinder 11 in the same manner as the ejection head 22 , the ink supplier 24 and the head subsidiary scanning means 32 , whereby the printing apparatus can be used also in ordinary printing.
- the device for moving the head towards and away operates so as to keep the recording head at least 500 ⁇ m away from the plate cylinder except during image recording.
- This movement may be effected using a sliding system or a mechanism by which the head is gripped with an arm fixed on a shaft and moved in a pendulum-like motion by turning the shaft.
- the oil-based ink image formed by the head is hardened by heating or like means using a fixing device 5 .
- Well-known fixing techniques such as heat fixing and solvent fixing, can be employed for fixing the ink image.
- heat fixing irradiation with an infrared lamp, halogen lamp or xenon flash lamp
- hot air fixing using a heater or fixing using a heated roller can be usually used.
- measures may be adopted such as previously heating the plate cylinder, previously heating the printing plate precursor, performing the recording under exposure to hot air, using a plate cylinder coated with a heat insulator, or heating the printing plate precursor alone by separating the printing plate precursor from the plate cylinder only at the time of fixing.
- Flash fixing using, e.g., a xenon lamp is well-known as a fixing method for electrophotographic toner, and has the advantage of performing the fixing in a short time.
- a solvent capable of dissolving the resin component of the ink such as methanol and ethyl acetate, is sprayed onto the printing plate precursor, and the excess solvent vapor is recovered.
- the printing plate thus prepared is then subjected to printing process in the same manner as known lithographic printing method. More specifically, the printing plate 9 having the oil-based ink image formed thereon is given a printing ink and a dampening water to form a printing ink image thereon.
- the printing ink image thus formed is transferred onto a blanket cylinder 12 rotating in concert with the plate cylinder 11 , and then the printing ink image on the blanket cylinder 12 is transferred to printing paper passing between the blanket cylinder 12 and the impression cylinder 13 to conduct printing corresponding to one-color information of the original.
- the printing plate is removed from the plate cylinder 11 by an automatic plate remover 8 , and a blanket on the blanket cylinder 12 is cleaned with a blanket cleaning device 14 so that it is restored to a printable state.
- the sensing device of the invention will be further described hereinafter.
- the sensing device is adapted to sense the attachment of foreign matters to the head, dust, vibration, etc.
- the sensing of the attachment of foreign matters to the head is carried out by sensing abnormal current through the head, image defects and abnormal shape of meniscus, whereby image recording is suspended and/or the cleaning device for the head is actuated.
- FIG. 11 An example of the method for sensing abnormal current through the head, image defects and abnormal shape of meniscus is shown in FIG. 11 .
- current discharge is effected continuously or at a reduced interval of time, causing an extraordinarily higher current to flow through the head than during normal time.
- current i flowing through the head is detected by a current detecting circuit 111 .
- the resulting electrical signal is converted by a signal processing circuit 112 to a digital signal which is then sent to CPU 110 .
- CPU 110 compares the digital signal with a reference value stored in a memory 113 . Whenever the results of comparison show that the digital signal falls outside the tolerance, an image recording suspending device 117 and/or a cleaning device 118 is actuated.
- the sensing of image defects can be essentially accomplished by the same method as the method for sensing abnormal shape of meniscus.
- an image G recorded is taken a picture of by a CCD camera 1142 provided in the vicinity of the image.
- the picture thus taken is converted by the image processing circuit 115 to a digital signal which is then sent to CPU 110 which in turn compares the digital signal with a reference image data stored in the memory 113 .
- CPU 110 actuates the image recording suspending device 117 and/or cleaning device 118 .
- the cleaning device When the printing apparatus is kept suspended over an extended period of time, the cleaning device is properly actuated.
- the sensing of dust is accomplished by sensing dust attached to the printing plate or flying in the apparatus.
- the sensing device there may be used an optical sensing device.
- the weight of dust collected by filtering may be sensed.
- the optical sensing method is preferably employed.
- FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the dust sensing device using an optical sensing method.
- a plurality of pairs of light-emitting devices and light-receiving elements 1221 to 1231 and 1222 to 1232 are provided on the printing plate (A) on which dust is to be detected and in a place (B) in the apparatus where dust can easily fly, respectively.
- the light-emitting devices 1221 and 1222 are LED's which are connected to LED driver 121 .
- LED driver 121 causes the light-emitting elements 1221 and 1222 to emit light according to control of CPU 120 .
- the light-receiving elements 1231 and 1232 are phototransistors which are connected to photoelectric conversion circuits 1241 and 1242 , respectively.
- the light-receiving elements 1231 and 1232 When the light-receiving elements 1231 and 1232 receive light emitted by the light-emitting devices 1221 and 1232 , respectively, the light signal is converted by the photoelectric conversion circuits 1241 and 1242 , respectively, to an electrical signal which is then outputted to the signal processing circuit 125 .
- the signal processing circuit 125 converts the electrical signal from the first and second light-emitting elements 1231 and 1232 to a digital signal which is then sent to CPU 120 .
- CPU 120 compares the digital signal thus received with the reference value stored in the memory 126 . When the results of comparison show that the digital signal falls outside the tolerance, the image recording suspending device 127 and/or cleaning device 128 is actuated.
- the printing apparatus 1 comprises a printing plate surface dust removing device 10 for removing dust present on the surface of the printing plate material before and/or during the recording of an image on the printing plate material.
- the dust removing device 10 may employ contact process by means of a brush, roller or the like besides non-contact process such as known suction method, blow-off method and electrostatic method.
- non-contact process such as known suction method, blow-off method and electrostatic method.
- air suction method and air blow-off method may be employed.
- an air pump which is usually used in the paper supplying device may be used for this purpose.
- the ink jet recording device 2 will be described in more detail below.
- the image recording portion used in the lithographic printing device of the invention comprises an ink jet head 2 , and an ink supplier 24 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
- the ink supplier 24 has an ink tank 25 , an ink supplying device 26 and an ink concentration controlling device 29 .
- the ink tank 25 is furnished with a stirrer 27 and an ink temperature controlling device (ink temperature controller) 28 .
- the ink may be circulated through the ejection head.
- the ink supplier has a recovering function in addition to the circulatory function.
- the ink stirrer 27 inhibits the solid component of the ink from precipitating and aggregating. Examples of the ink stirrer 27 include a rotating blade, an ultrasonic vibrator and a circulatory pump.
- the ink temperature controlling device 28 is arranged so as to prevent the physical properties of the ink from changing due to change in ambient temperature, thereby ensuring no change in dot diameter so as to form a consistently high-quality image.
- a well-known method can be adopted. More specifically, the ink tank can be provided with a heating element such as a heater or a Peltie element or a cooling element together with the stirrer so as to make the temperature distribution inside the ink tank uniform, and the temperature is controlled with a temperature sensor such as thermostat. It is desirable that the ink temperature inside the ink tank be from 15° C. to 60° C., and preferably from 20° C. to 50° C.
- the ink concentration is controlled by feeding concentrated ink from an ink tank 25 for replenishment or ink carrier tank for dilution (not shown) in accordance with output signals from an optical detector, a conductivity measuring instrument and a viscosity measuring instrument provided individually or in combination inside the ink tank 25 , or ink flow course in the case of control in accordance with measurement of physical properties, or based on a number of printing plates made or a frequency of plate-making operations in the case of monitoring the number of printing plate precursors subjected to image formation.
- a dust sensing device or head abnormal current sensing device may be connected to an image data arithmetic and control unit 21 , whereby a mechanism can be provided for suspending the supply of voltage signal to the head when such a sensing device generates an abnormal signal to prevent damage on the head.
- the arithmetic and control unit 21 not only performs arithmetical operations on input image data and controls movement of the ejection head with the ejection head moving device 31 or the head subsidiary scanner 32 , but also receives a timing pulse from an encoder 30 attached to the plate cylinder and carries out operation of the ejection head 22 in accordance with the timing pulse. As a result, positional precision in the direction of subsidiary scanning is improved.
- the use of a driving means having a high precision different from the driving means for printing allows the plate cylinder to be driven in an enhanced positional precision in the direction of subsidiary scanning.
- the plate cylinder is preferably released mechanically from the blanket cylinder, the impression cylinder and others so that only the plate cylinder can be driven. More specifically, the output from a high precision motor can be subjected to reduction through a high precision gear, steel band or the like to drive only the plate cylinder. During the recording of a high quality image, these means may be used singly or in combination.
- the ejection head will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9 .
- the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto.
- FIGS. 3 and 4 show an example of an ejection head which is installed in the ink jet recording device.
- the ejection head 22 has a slit interposed between an upper unit 221 and a lower unit 222 , each formed by an insulating substrate, while the tip thereof forms an ejection slit 22 a .
- An ejection electrode 22 b is arranged in the slit, and the slit is filled with an ink 23 supplied from an ink supplying device.
- the insulating substrate usable for the head include plastics, glass and ceramics.
- the ejection electrode 22 b is formed on the lower unit 222 made of an insulating substrate according to a known method.
- the top surface of the lower unit 222 may be provided with a conductive material such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, gold or platinum using a technique such as vacuum deposition, sputtering or electroless plating, and then the conductive material coating is covered with a photoresist.
- the photoresist is exposed to light via a desired electrode pattern and developed to form a photoresist pattern in the form of the ejection electrode 22 b .
- the conductive material coating undergoes etching, mechanical removal or a combination thereof to form the ejection electrode 22 b.
- the tip of the ejection electrode 22 b is made as small as possible.
- the tip of the electrode is ordinarily shaped so as to have a width of from 5 to 100 ⁇ m, although the tip width may be varied depending on conditions.
- a dot having a diameter of 40 ⁇ m can be formed on the printing plate precursor 9 when an ejection electrode 22 b having a tip width of 20 ⁇ m is used, the space between the ejection electrode 22 b and the plate cylinder 11 as a counterelectrode is adjusted to 1.0 mm, and a voltage of 3 kV is applied for 0.1 millisecond between these electrodes.
- FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively show a schematic cross-sectional view and a schematic front view of the vicinity of an ink ejector of another example of the ejection head.
- Reference numeral 22 in these figures indicate the ejection head.
- the head has a first insulating substrate 33 of a tapered shape.
- a second insulating substrate 34 is set facing to and apart from the first insulating substrate 33 .
- An end portion of the second insulating substrate 34 has a slope 35 .
- the first and second insulating substrates are each made of, e.g., plastics, glass or ceramics.
- a plurality of ejection electrodes 22 b are provided for forming an electrostatic field in the ejector.
- the tips of the ejection electrodes 22 b extend to the vicinity of the tip of the top surface 36 , and protrude beyond the tip of the first insulating substrate 33 , thereby forming the ejectors.
- An ink inflow course 37 defining a pathway for supplying ink 23 to the ejector, is formed between the first and second insulating substrates 33 and 34 , and the ink recovery course 38 is formed on the underside of the second insulating substrate 34 .
- the ejection electrodes 22 b are formed using a conductive material such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, gold or platinum on the top surface of the second insulating substrate 34 in a conventional manner as described above.
- the respective ejection electrodes 22 b are constructed so as to be in an electrically insulated state.
- a suitable length for the tip of the ejection electrode 22 b that protrude beyond the tip of the first insulating substrate 33 is 2 mm or less.
- a reason why such a range of protrusion is preferred is that, if the protrusion is too long, it is difficult for the ink meniscus to reach the tip of ejector, resulting in difficulty in ejection of the ink and a decrease in maximum recording frequency.
- the space between the first and second insulating substrates 33 and 34 be from 0.1 to 3 mm.
- a reason why this range is preferred for the space is that too narrow a space makes supply of the ink difficult, resulting in difficulty in ejection of the ink and a decrease in maximum recording frequency while, on the other hand, too wide a space makes the meniscus unstable, resulting in inconsistent ejection of the ink.
- the ejection electrode 22 b is connected to the arithmetic and control unit 21 .
- a voltage is applied to the ejection electrode in accordance with image information signals from the arithmetic and control unit 21 , and thereby the ink on the ejection electrode is ejected to perform image formation on a printing plate precursor (not shown) arranged to be facing to the ejector.
- the ink inflow course 37 is connected to a device for sending ink from an ink supplying device (not shown) on the side opposite to the ink ejector.
- a backing 39 is arranged apart from and facing toward the underside, which is the reverse of the ejection electrode side, of the second insulating substrate 34 to form an ink recovery course 38 between the backing and the underside of the second insulating substrate 34 .
- the width of the space of the ink recovery course 38 be at least 0.1 mm. This is because too small a space makes the recovery of ink difficult, resulting in ink leakage.
- the ink recovery course 38 is connected to an ink recoverer, which is attached to the ink supplying device (not shown). If a uniform ink flow over the ejector is required, grooves 40 may be provided between the ejector and the ink recoverer.
- FIG. 6 is a front view showing the vicinity of the ejector of an ejection head.
- a plurality of grooves 40 are provided in the slope of the second insulating substrate 34 from the vicinity of the borders with the respective ejection electrodes 22 to the ink recovery course 38 .
- the grooves 40 are aligned in the lengthwise direction of the ink jet electrode 22 b , and have a function for conducting by capillary action a predetermined amount of ink, depending on the opening diameter, present in the vicinity of the tip of each ejection electrode from the respective openings on the side of ejection electrodes 22 b into the ink recovery course 38 .
- the grooves 40 function to form an ink flow having a certain thickness in the vicinity of the tip of each ink jet electrode.
- the groove 40 may have any shape as far as the grooves can provide the desired capillary action. However, it is especially desirable that the width of the grooves is from 10 to 200 ⁇ m and the depth thereof is from 10 to 300 ⁇ m.
- the grooves 40 are provided in a number sufficient for forming a uniform ink flow over the entire ejection head.
- the tip of the ejection electrode 22 b be made as small as possible.
- the tip of the electrode is ordinarily shaped so as to have a width of from 5 to 100 ⁇ m, although the tip width may be varied depending on conditions.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating only a portion of the head.
- the recording head 22 as shown in FIG. 7, has a main body 41 made of an insulating material such as plastics, ceramics or glass, and meniscus regulating panels 42 and 42 ′.
- Reference numeral 22 b in FIG. 7 indicates an ejection electrode to which a voltage is applied to form an electrostatic field in the ejector.
- the main body 41 of the head is further illustrated in detail with reference to FIG. 8 wherein the regulating panels 42 and 42 ′ are removed from the ejection head.
- the main body 41 of the head has a plurality of ink grooves 43 cut perpendicularly to the edge thereof for the purpose of ink circulation.
- the grooves 43 each may have any shape so far as the grooves can provide a suitable capillary action sufficient to form a uniform ink flow. However, it is especially desirable that the width of the groove be from 10 to 200 ⁇ m and the depth thereof be from 10 to 300 ⁇ m. Ejection electrodes 22 b are provided in respective ones of the grooves 43 .
- the ejection electrode 22 b may be arranged so as to cover the entire surface of the groove or it may be formed on only a portion of the groove using a conductive material such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, gold or platinum, according to a well-known method as described in the above-described example of the head. Additionally, the ejection electrodes are electrically isolated from one another. Two ink grooves adjacent to each other form one cell, and a separator wall 44 positioned in the center of the cell has an ejector 45 or 45 ′ in the tip. The separator wall 44 is made thinner in the ejector 45 or 45 ′ than in other portions thereof, and the ejector is sharpened.
- the main body of the head having the configuration method such as mechanical processing or etching of a block of insulating material, or molding of an insulating material. It is desirable that the separator wall in the ejector have a thickness of from 5 to 100 ⁇ m and the sharpened tip thereof have a radius of curvature of from 5 to 50 ⁇ m. Further, the tip of the ejector may be slightly cut off as shown in the ejector 45 ′ . In the figure, only two cells are depicted for ease of illustration. A separator wall 46 is disposed between cells. The tip 47 of the wall 46 is cut off so as to be set back compared with the ejectors 45 and 45 ′ .
- the ink is flowed into the ejection head via ink grooves from the direction indicated by an arrow I with from an ink supplying device (not shown), and thereby supplied to the ejectors. Further, the excess ink is recovered in the direction indicated by an arrow O with an ink recoverer (not shown). As a result, fresh ink is always supplied to each ejector.
- a plate cylinder holding a printing plate precursor on the surface thereof (notshown) is arranged so as to face the ejector. While maintaining such a condition, a voltage corresponding to the image information is applied to the ejection electrode, and ink is ejected from the ejector to form an image on the printing plate precursor.
- the ejection head 22 has a pair of nearly rectangular plate-shaped support members 50 and 50 ′.
- Each of these support members 50 and 50 ′ is made of an insulating plastic, glass or ceramic plate having a thickness of from 1 to 10 mm, and in one surface thereof there are formed a plurality of rectangular grooves 51 or 51 ′ extending parallel to one another.
- Each of the grooves 51 and 51 ′ desirably has a width of from 10 to 200 ⁇ m and a depth of from 10 to 300 ⁇ m.
- an ejection electrode 22 b is formed so as to cover the whole or only a portion of the groove surface.
- each support member 50 or 50 ′ results in the formation of rectangular separator walls 52 between respective pairs of grooves.
- the support members 50 and 50 ′ are placed together so that the surfaces thereof in which no grooves are formed are brought into contact with each other.
- the ejection head 22 has a plurality of grooves for distribution of ink over the periphery thereof.
- the grooves 51 formed in the support member 50 are coupled to corresponding ones of the grooves 51 ′ formed in the support member 50 ′ by way of the rectangular portion 54 of the ejection head 22 .
- Each rectangular portion 54 that couples together two corresponding grooves is set back a predetermined distance (e.g., 50 to 500 ⁇ m) from the top end portion 53 of the ejection head.
- a predetermined distance e.g. 50 to 500 ⁇ m
- each of the separator walls 52 adjoining each rectangular portion 54 on both sides is disposed so that the top end 55 thereof protrudes beyond the adjacent rectangular portions 54 .
- a guide protrusion 56 made of an insulating material as described above is attached so as to protrude beyond each rectangular portion 54 , thereby forming the ejector.
- the ink When ink is circulated through the ejection head 22 having the structure as described above, the ink is supplied to each rectangular portion 54 via a respective groove 51 formed at the periphery of the support member 50 , and the ink is discharged via the grooves 51 ′ formed in the support member 50 ′ opposite the support member 50 .
- the ejection head 22 is inclined at a predetermined angle so that the ink supply side (the support member 50 ) is situated upward and the ink discharge side (the support member 50 ′) is situated downward.
- a plate cylinder holding a printing plate precursor on the surface thereof (not shown) is arranged so as to face the ejector.
- a voltage corresponding to the image information is applied to the ejection electrode, and the ink is ejected from the ejector to form an image on the printing plate precursor.
- a cover may be attached along the periphery of each of the support members 50 and 50 ′ to cover the grooves, thereby forming pipe-shaped ink flow courses along the periphery of each of the support members 50 and 50 ′.
- the ink can be made to circulate by way of these ink flow courses, it is not necessary to incline the ejection head 22 .
- the ejection heads 22 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 9 can also be provided with a maintenance device such as a cleaner if desired.
- a maintenance device such as a cleaner
- a device for wiping the tip of the ejection head with a flexible brush or cloth, a device for circulating the ink solvent alone, and a device for exerting suction on the ejector while supplying or circulating the ink solvent alone can be adopted singly or in combination, whereby satisfactory recording conditions can be maintained.
- it is also effective to cool the ejection head, thereby reducing evaporation of the ink solvent.
- a method of suctioning ink from the ejector, a method of blowing air in the ink flow course, and a method of applying ultrasonic waves to the head while immersing the head in an ink solvent are also effective. These methods can be used alone or in combination.
- the cleaning device is represented by the reference numeral 60 .
- a conveyance mechanism (not shown) carries the recording head 22 to the cleaning device 60 .
- at least the ejection tip of the recording head 22 is dipped in a cleaning fluid 57 .
- a voltage having the same polarity as that of the solid chargeable component in the ink is then applied to the ejection tip of the recording head 22 from an electric supply 59 via a conductor 591 .
- the other conductor 592 from the electric supply 59 is connected to a metallic chassis as a cleaning fluid container 58 . In this circuit arrangement, the solid chargeable component is repelled by the ejection electrode and thus is completely removed.
- the voltage to be applied may be an ac voltage.
- an ac voltage may be imposed on a voltage having the same polarity as that of the solid chargeable component.
- the solid chargeable component undergoes vibration, enhancing the cleaning effect.
- ultrasonic wave may be applied to further enhance the cleaning effect.
- the cleaning fluid there may be used any compound so far as it doesn't attack the recording head. In practice, however, as such a fluid there is preferably used an ink solvent or ink itself.
- FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the recording head cleaning device of FIG. 14 .
- the cleaning device 60 operates when the printing apparatus is kept suspended over an extended period of time and when there occurs problems with image or image quality.
- a suspension time counter (not shown) for counting the suspension of the printing apparatus counts the suspension time.
- a predetermined period of time e.g., 1 month
- an image or image quality is always detected, e.g., by a CCD camera.
- CPU compares the image quality thus detected with a reference image quality stored in a memory.
- the cleaning device 60 is actuated (step 3) even if the suspension time of the printing apparatus falls within a predetermined period of time.
- cleaning is effected by dipping at least the ejection tip of the recording head 22 in the cleaning fluid 57 as shown in FIG. 14 mentioned above.
- the suspension time counter for counting the suspension of the printing apparatus is reset, (step 4) and the counting of the suspension of the printing apparatus is resumed.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the entire configuration of an on-press recording type four-color lithographic printing apparatus.
- the four-color single-sided printing apparatus essentially comprises four plate cylinders 11 , four blanket cylinders 12 and four impression cylinders 13 of the monochromatic single-sided printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 arranged for each of four colors such that printing is effected on the same surface of printing paper P.
- the delivery of printing paper from an impression cylinder to another as shown by K is carried out by a known delivery cylinder or the like. Although detailed description is omitted, as can be easily seen in the example of FIG.
- other multi-color single-sided printing apparatus each essentially comprise a plurality of plate cylinders 11 , blanket cylinders 12 and impression cylinders 13 arranged for each color such that printing is effected on the same surface of printing paper P.
- plate cylinders and blanket cylinders in an amount corresponding to the number of colors to be printed.
- the arrangement may be such that one impression cylinder is shared by plate cylinders and blanket cylinders in an amount corresponding to the number of colors to be printed.
- the arrangement may be such that the total number of plate cylinders and blanket cylinders corresponds to the number of colors to be printed.
- the delivery of printing paper between adjoining common impression cylinders may be carried out by the foregoing known delivery cylinder or the like.
- plate cylinders and blanket cylinders are necessary in an amount corresponding to the value obtained by dividing the number of colors to be printed by the number of printing plates per plate cylinder.
- a press comprising two plate cylinders and two blanket cylinders can be used to effect four-color printing on one side of printing paper.
- the diameter of the impression cylinder is the same as that of the plate cylinder for one color.
- the impression cylinder is provided with a means for holding printing paper until printing of the required number of colors is completed.
- the delivery of printing paper can be accomplished by a known delivery cylinder or the like.
- a delivery cylinder or the like In the case of a press having two plate cylinders having the foregoing two color printing plate precursors formed thereon and two blanket cylinders, when one of the two impression cylinders rotates twice holding printing plate, two-color printing is effected. Subsequently, printing paper is delivered between the impression cylinders. When the other impression cylinder rotates twice holding printing paper, another two-color printing is effected, thereby completing four-color printing.
- the number of impression cylinders to be installed may be the same as that of plate cylinders. Several plate cylinders and blanket cylinders may have one impression cylinder in common.
- a known printing paper inverting means is provided in at least one gap between adjacent impression cylinders in the foregoing unit type printing apparatus or in at least one gap between adjacent impression cylinders in an arrangement having a plurality of the foregoing common impression cylinder type printing apparatus.
- a plurality of the plate cylinders 11 and blanket cylinders 12 in the monochromatic single-sided printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 are provided.
- plate cylinders and blanket cylinders in an amount corresponding to the number of colors to be printed on both surfaces of printing paper.
- the required number of impression cylinders may be reduced, too.
- the impression cylinder is provided with a means for holding printing paper until the desired number of colors are printed.
- both the unit type and common impression cylinder type printing machine can be realized by arranging a plurality of structures each comprising a known WEB inverting means provided in at least one gap between adjacent impression cylinders such that printing is effected on both surfaces of printing paper P.
- BB bladenket-to-blanket
- This type of printing machine comprises one plate cylinder and blanket cylinder (no impression cylinder) for one color to be printed on one surface of WEB and one plate cylinder and blanket cylinder (no impression cylinder) for the same color to be printed on the other surface of WEB, said blanket cylinders being pressed against each other during printing.
- This structure is provided in an amount corresponding to the number of colors to be printed.
- WEB passes through the gap between the blanket cylinders which are pressed against each other during printing to perform multi-color double-sided printing.
- the on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus comprises two plate cylinders per blanket cylinder, whereby printing is effected on one of the two plate cylinders while image recording is being effected on the other.
- this mechanism can be applied to on-press recording type multi-color single-sided lithographic printing apparatus and on-press recording type multi-color double-sided lithographic printing apparatus.
- the plate material (printing plate precursor) which can be used in the present invention will be described in greater detail below.
- the printing plate precursor there may be used a metal plate such as aluminum- or chromium-plated steel plate.
- a metal plate such as aluminum- or chromium-plated steel plate.
- an aluminum plate which can be grained or anodized to have an excellent surface water retention and abrasion resistance, is desirable.
- a more inexpensive printing plate precursor there may be used a printing plate precursor having a water-resistant support such as paper subjected to a water-resistant treatment, a plastic film or paper laminated with plastic, having provided thereon an image-receiving layer.
- the thickness of the image-receiving layer is ordinarily in a range of from 5 to 30 ⁇ m.
- the image-receiving layer includes a hydrophilic layer including an inorganic pigment and a binder and a layer capable of being rendered hydrophilic by an oil-desensitizing treatment.
- the inorganic pigment used in the hydrophilic image-receiving layer include clay, silica, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide and barium sulfate.
- the binder used includes a hydrophilic binder, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, starch, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, casein, gelatin, a salt of polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and a methyl ether-maleic anhydride copolymer.
- a melamine formaldehyde resin, a urea formaldehyde resin or other crosslinking agents may be added thereto if desired.
- the image-receiving layer to which an oil-desensitizing treatment is applied includes, for example, a layer containing zinc oxide and a hydrophobic binder.
- the zinc oxide used in the image-receiving layer according to the present invention is any of zinc oxide, zinc white, wet-type zinc white, and activated zinc white as commercially available, as described in Nippon Ganryo Gijutsu Kyokai, ed., “Shinban Ganryo Binran (New Edition of Pigment Handbook)”, pp. 319, Kabushiki Kaisha Seiundo (1968).
- zinc oxide is classified into two groups, that produced by a wet method and that produced by a dry method, which groups are further subclassified into zinc oxide produced by the “French” method (indirect method) or “American” method (direct method).
- Suitable examples of zinc oxide include those commercially available from Seido Kagaku Kogyo K.K., Sakai Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Hakusui Chemical Industries, Ltd., Honjo Chemical K.K., Toho Zinc Co., Ltd., and Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.
- the resin to be used as binder include styrene copolymer, methacrylate copolymer, acrylate copolymer, vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, alkyd resin, epoxy resin, epoxyester resin, polyester resin, and polyurethane resin.
- the resins may be employed singly or in combination of two or more thereof.
- the content of the resin in the image-receiving layer is from 9/91 to 20/80 in terms of a weight ratio of resin/zinc oxide.
- Examples of the oil-desensitizing solution which has heretofore been used for the oil-desensitizing of the image-receiving layer containing zinc oxide include those conventionally known, for example, a treating solution containing a cyan compound such as ferrocyanate or ferricyanate as the main component, a cyan-free treating solution containing an ammine cobalt complex, phytic acid or a derivative thereof, or a guanidine derivative as the main component, a treating solution containing an inorganic or organic acid capable of forming a chelate with an zinc ion as the main component, and a treating solution containing a water-soluble polymer.
- a treating solution containing a cyan compound such as ferrocyanate or ferricyanate
- a cyan-free treating solution containing an ammine cobalt complex, phytic acid or a derivative thereof, or a guanidine derivative as the main component
- treating solutions containing a cyan compound include those described, e.g., in JP-B-44-9045 (The term “JP-B” as used herein means an “examined Japanese patent application”), JP-B-46-39403, JP-A-52-76101, JP-A-57-107889 and JP-A-54 -117201.
- the surface of the printing plate material opposed to the image-receiving layer preferably has a Beck smoothness of from 150 to 700 (sec/10 cc).
- the resulting printing plate allows fair transfer without sliding or slipping on the plate cylinder.
- Beck smoothness can be measured by means of a Beck smoothness testing machine.
- a specimen is pressed against a highly smoothened circular glass plate having a hole at the center thereof at a constant pressure of 1 kgf/cm 2 (9.8 N/cm 2 ).
- a constant pressure of 1 kgf/cm 2 9.8 N/cm 2
- the time required for a predetermined amount (1 cc) of air to pass through the gap between the surface of the glass plate and the specimen under reduced pressure is then measured.
- oil-based ink which can be used in the present invention is described in more detail below.
- the oil-based ink used in the present invention is a dispersion comprising resin particles which are solid and hydrophobic at least at ordinary temperature dispersed in a nonaqueous solvent having an electrical resistance of 10 9 ⁇ -cm or more and a dielectric constant of 3.5 or less.
- the surface tension of the oil-based ink is not specifically limited. In practice, however, the surface tension of the oil-based ink which can be used in the present invention is 35 dyne/cm or less, preferably from 15 dyne/cm to 35 dyne/cm, more preferably from 16 dyne/cm to 30 dyne/cm.
- the surface tension of the oil-based ink is too high, the resulting oil-based ink may exhibit a deteriorated ejectability.
- the surface tension of the oil-based ink is too low the resulting oil-based ink can easily spill from the ejection head and may exhibit a deteriorated stability.
- the viscosity of the oil-based ink is not specifically limited. In practice, however, the viscosity of the oil-based ink which can be used in the present invention is 15 cP or less, preferably from 0.4 cP to 15 cP, more preferably from 0.5 cP to 10 cP. When the viscosity of the oil-based ink is too high, the resulting oil-based ink may exhibit a deteriorated ejectability. When the viscosity of the oil-based ink is too low, the resulting oil-based ink can easily spill from the ejection head and may exhibit a deteriorated stability.
- the particle charge distribution of the oil-based ink is not specifically limited. In practice, however, the particle charge distribution of the oil-based ink which can be used in the present invention is 10% or more, preferably 30% or more, more preferably 40% or more. When the particle charge distribution of the oil-based ink is too low, the resulting oil-based ink can hardly form condesates and thus may exhibit an insufficient press life.
- the particle charge distribution is defined by (electrical conductivity of entire ink—electrical conductivity of supernatant liquid obtained by centrifugal separation of ink (at 15,000 rpm for 30 minutes))/electrical conductivity of entire ink ⁇ 100%.
- electrical conductivity is measured at a frequency of 1 kHz and an applied voltage of 5 V.
- nonaqueous solvent having an electrical resistance of 10 9 ⁇ -cm or more and a dielectric constant of 3.5 or less include straight-chain or branched aliphatic hydrocarbons, alicyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated products of these hydrocarbons.
- the resin particles to be dispersed in the nonaqueous solvent as described above are hydrophobic resin particles which are solid at temperature of 35° C. or less and have good affinity with the nonaqueous solvent.
- a resin (O) having a glass transition temperature of from ⁇ 5° C. to 110° C. or a softening temperature of from 33° C. to 140° C. is preferred.
- the more preferable range of the glass transition temperature is from 10° C. to 100° C.
- that of the softening temperature is from 38° C. to 120° C.
- the resin (P) it is preferred for the resin (P) to have a glass transition temperature of from 15° C. to 80° C. or a softening temperature of from 38° C. to 100° C.
- the affinity of each resin particle with the image-receiving surface of the printing plate precursor is enhanced and the resin particles are firmly bonded with each other on the printing plate precursor.
- the adhesion of the ink image to the printing plate precursor is increased and the press life is improved.
- the glass transition temperature or a softening temperature of the resin used is beyond the upper and lower limits specified above, the affinity of each resin particle with the image-receiving surface of the printing plate precursor may be lowered and the bond between resin particles may be weakened.
- the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of the resin (P) is preferably from 1 ⁇ 10 3 to 1 ⁇ 10 6 , more preferably from 5 ⁇ 10 3 to 8 ⁇ 10 5 , and still more preferably from 1 ⁇ 10 4 to 5 ⁇ 10 5 .
- Such a resin (P) include olefin homopolymers and copolymers (such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisobutylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-acrylate copolymer, ethylene-methacrylate copolymer and ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer), vinyl chloride copolymers (such as polyvinyl chloride and vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer), vinylidene chloride copolymers, vinyl alkanoate homopolymers and copolymers, allyl alkanoate homopolymers and copolymers, homopolymers and copolymers of styrene and derivatives thereof (such as butadiene-styrene copolymer, isoprene-styrene copolymer, styrene-methacrylate copolymer and styrene-acrylate copolymer), acrylonit
- the resin particles prefferably be contained in the oil-based ink of the invention in an amount of from 0.5 to 20% by weight based on the total ink content. If the amount of the resin particles is too low, the affinity of the ink with the image-receiving layer of the printing plate precursor is insufficient, and, as a result, the ink may not form images of good quality and the press life tends to decrease. On the other hand, if the proportion of resin particles is increased beyond the above-described range, it may be difficult to form a homogeneous dispersion, and, as a result, the ink flow through the ejection head can be nonuniform and stable ink ejection may not be achieved.
- the oil-based ink used in the present invention it is preferred to include a coloring material together with the resin particles in order to allow easy visual inspection of the resulting printing plate.
- Such a coloring material may be any of a number of pigments and dyes which have been ordinarily used in conventional oil-based ink compositions and liquid developers for electrostatic photography.
- the pigment to be used has no particular restriction, and includes both inorganic and organic pigments which are ordinarily used in the field of printing.
- pigments usable in the oil-based ink without any restriction include carbon black, cadmium red, molybdenum red, chrome yellow, cadmium yellow, titanium yellow, chromium oxide, viridian, titanium cobalt green, ultramarine blue, Prussian blue, cobalt blue, azo pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, quinacridone pigments, isoindolidone pigments, dioxazine pigments, threne pigments, perylene pigments, perylone pigments, thioindigo pigments, quinophthalone pigments, metal complex pigments, and other conventionally known pigments.
- oil-soluble dyes are suitable for use in the oil-based ink, with examples including azo dyes, metal complex dyes, naphthol dyes, anthraquinone dyes, indigo dyes, carbonium dyes, quinoneimine dyes, xanthene dyes, cyanine dyes, quinoline dyes, nitro dyes, nitroso dyes, benzoquinone dyes, naphthoquinone dyes, phthalocyanine dyes and metallo-phthalocyanine dyes.
- the pigments and dyes may be used singly, or they can be used in appropriate combinations. It is desirable that they are contained in a proportion of from 0.01 to 5% by weight based on the total ink content.
- Such a coloring material as described above may be dispersed in the nonaqueous solvent as dispersed particles separately from the resin particles, or it may be incorporated into the resin particles dispersed in the nonaqueous solvent.
- the incorporation of a pigment is ordinarily effected by coating the pigment with the resin material of resin particles to form resin-coated particles, while the incorporation of a dye is ordinarily effected by coloring the surface portion of resin particles with the dye to form colored particles.
- the average diameter of the resin particles, including colored particles, dispersed in the nonaqueous solvent is preferably from 0.05 ⁇ m to 5 ⁇ m, more preferably from 0.1 ⁇ m to 1.0 ⁇ m, further more preferably from 0.1 ⁇ m to 0.5 ⁇ m.
- the diameter of the particles is determined with a particle size analyzer, CAPA-500 (tradename, manufactured by Horida Ltd.).
- the nonaqueous dispersion of resin particles used in the present invention can be prepared using a well-known mechanical grinding method or a polymerization granulation method.
- the mechanical grinding method the materials for forming resin particles are mixed, molten and kneaded, if required, and directly ground into fine particles with a conventional grinder, and further dispersed in the presence of a dispersing machine (e.g., a ball mill, a paint shaker, a Keddy mill, a Dyno mill).
- a dispersing machine e.g., a ball mill, a paint shaker, a Keddy mill, a Dyno mill.
- the materials for forming resin particles and a dispersion assisting polymer are kneaded in advance to form a kneaded matter, then ground into fine particles, and further dispersed in the presence of a dispersing polymer.
- Methods of preparing paints or liquid developers for electrostatic photography can be adopted in practice.
- the particles are generally dispersed together with a dispersing polymer.
- the dispersing polymer contains repeating units soluble in the nonaqueous solvent as the main component, and a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) thereof is preferably from 1 ⁇ 10 3 to 1 ⁇ 10 6 , more preferably from 5 ⁇ 10 3 to 5 ⁇ 10 5 .
- Suitable examples of the soluble repeating units of the dispersing polymer usable in the present invention include a polymerizing component represented by the following formula(I):
- X 1 represents —COO—, —OCO— or —O—.
- R represents an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 10 to 32 carbon atoms, preferably an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 10 to 22 carbon atoms, which may have a straight-chain or branched structure and may be substituted, although the unsubstituted form is preferred
- alkyl group examples include decyl, dodecyl, tridecyl, tetradecyl, hexadecyl, octadecyl, eicosanyl, docosanyl, decenyl, dodecenyl, tridecenyl, hexadecenyl, octadecenyl or linolenyl.
- a 1 and a 2 which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom (e.g., chlorine or bromine), a cyano group, an alkyl group having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms (e.g., methyl, ethyl or propyl), —COO—Z 1 or —CH 2 COO—Z 1 [wherein Z 1 represents a hydrocarbon group having not more than 22 carbon atoms which may be substituted (such as an alkyl, alkenyl, aralkyl, alicyclic or aryl group).
- hydrocarbon groups represented by Z 1 are an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group having from 1 to 22 carbon atoms (e.g., methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, dodecyl, tridecyl, tetradecyl, hexadecyl, octadecyl, eicosanyl, docosanyl, 2-chloroethyl, 2-bromoethyl, 2-cyanoethyl, 2-methoxycarbonylethyl, 2-methoxyethyl or 3-bromopropyl), an unsubstituted or substituted alkenyl group having from 4 to 18 carbon atoms (e.g., 2-methyl-1-propenyl, 2-butenyl, 2-pentenyl, 3-methyl-2-pentenyl, 1-pentenyl,
- the dispersing polymer may contain other repeating units as copolymerizing components.
- the copolymerizing components may be derived from any monomers as long as they can be copolymerized with the monomers corresponding to the repeating units of formula (I).
- the suitable proportion of the repeating unit represented by formula (I) in the dispersing polymer is preferably at least 50% by weight, more preferably at least 60% by weight.
- dispersing polymer examples include Dispersion Stabilizing Resin (Q-1) used in Examples described hereinafter and commercially available products, e.g., Sorprene 1205 manufactured by Asahi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
- the dispersing polymer be added prior to the polymerization.
- the amount of the dispersing polymer to be added is from 1 to 50% by weight based on the particle resin (P).
- the dispersed resin particles and colored particles be electroscopic particles charged positively or negatively.
- electroscopicity can be imparted to the particles by using an electroscopic material such as charge control agent and other additives as described, e.g., in “Saikin no Denshi Shashin Genzo System to Toner Zairyou no Kaihatsu Jitsuyouka (The Latest Systems for Electrophotographic Development, and Development and Application of Toner Materials)”, pp. 139-148, described above, “Denshi Shashin Gijutsu no Kiso to Oyo (The Fundamentals and Applications of Electrophotographic Techniques)”, edited by Electrophotographic Society, pp. 497-505, Corona Co. (1988), and Yuji Harasaki, “Denshi Shashin (Electrophotography)”, vol. 16 (No. 2), p. 44 (1977).
- an electroscopic material such as charge control agent and other additives as described, e.g., in “Saikin no Denshi Shashin Genzo System to Toner Zairyou no Kaihatsu Jitsuyouka (The Latest Systems for Electrophoto
- a mixed solution of 10 g of Dispersion Stabilizing Resin (Q-1) having the structure illustrated below, 100 g of vinyl acetate, and 384 g of Isopar H was heated to a temperature of 70° C. under nitrogen gas stream with stirring.
- To the solution was added 0.8 g of 2,2′-azobis(isovaleronitrile) (abbreviated as A.I.V.N.) as a polymerization initiator, followed by reacting for three hours. Twenty minutes after the addition of the polymerization initiator, the reaction mixture became white turbid, and the reaction temperature rose to 88° C. Further, 0.5 g of the above-described polymerization initiator was added to the reaction mixture, and the reaction was carried out for two hours.
- the temperature of the reaction mixture was raised to 100° C., and stirred for two hours to remove the unreacted vinyl acetate by distillation. After cooling, the reaction mixture was passed through a nylon cloth of 200-mesh to obtain a white dispersion. In the polymerization process, the percent polymerization was 90%.
- the white dispersion obtained was a latex of good monodispersity having an average particle diameter of 0.23 ⁇ m. The average particle diameter was measured by CAPA-500 (manufactured by Horiba Ltd.).
- the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of the resin particles was 2 ⁇ 10 5 (a GPC value in terms of polystyrene) and the glass transition temperature (Tg) thereof was 38° C.
- An oil-based ink was prepared in the following manner.
- a portion of the ink flow course was made transparent, which portion was arranged between a light emission diode (LED) and a light detector, concentration control of the ink was carried out by feeding diluent for the ink (Isoper G) or concentrated ink (the solid concentration of which was adjusted to twice that of Oil-Based Ink (IK-1)).
- An aluminum plate having a thickness of 0.12 mm which had been subjected to graining and anodizing treatment was used as a printing plate precursor.
- the printing plate precursor was mounted on the plate cylinder with the head and end thereof being gripped by a mechanical device provided on the plate cylinder.
- the shape of meniscus at the tip of the head was sensed to monitor the attachment of foreign matters to the head.
- the relative vibration of the head and the plate cylinder was sensed by an accelerometer mounted thereon to sense vibration.
- the ejection electrode of the ejection head had a tip width of 10 ⁇ m, and the distance between the head and the printing plate precursor was kept at 1 mm by utilizing output from an optically gap-detecting device.
- a voltage of 2.5 kV was always applied as a bias voltage, and a pulse voltage of 500 V was further superimposed for each ejection of ink.
- the duration of pulse voltage was changed stepwise from 0.2 millisecond to 0.05 millisecond in 256 steps, thereby changing the dot area for recording.
- the image thus formed on the printing plate precursor had no defects due to dust, and deterioration of image quality due to a change in dot size was not observed at all even when the ambient temperature varied during the plate-making procedure and the number of printing plates prepared with the apparatus was increased. In other words, satisfactory plate-making was accomplished.
- the image formed on the printing plate precursor was hardened by heating with a xenon flash fixing device (made by USHIO INC.) under a luminous intensity of 200 J/pulse, thereby preparing a printing plate. Then, the ink jet recording device was moved away together with the subsidiary scanner from the position close to the plate cylinder and kept apart at a distance of 50 mm from the plate cylinder for the purpose of protecting the ejection head. Thereafter, printing was effected on printing coated paper using an ordinary lithographic printing method. In some detail, a printing ink and a dampening water were given to the printing plate to form a printing image thereon. The printing ink image thus formed was then transferred to the blanket cylinder rotating together with the plate cylinder. Subsequently, the printing ink image on the blanket cylinder was transferred to a printing coated paper passing through the gap between the blanket cylinder and the impression cylinder.
- a xenon flash fixing device made by USHIO INC.
- the print after printing 10,000 sheets had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- the ejection head was cleaned by supplying Isopar G to the head and dripping the Isopar G from the opening of the head for 10 minutes. Then, the head was stored in a cover filled with vapor of Isopar G. By this treatment, prints of good quality were provided for 6 months without any other work for maintenance.
- Example 2 The same on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus as used in Example 1 was used except that as a stirrer there was used a circulating pump and a 600 dpi full-line ink jet head as shown in FIG. 5 was installed.
- the pump was used in the present example.
- One ink reservoir was arranged between the pump and the ink flow-in course of the ejection head, and another ink reservoir was arranged between the ink recovery course of the ejection head and the ink tank.
- the ink was circulated by the difference in hydrostatic pressure between those reservoirs in addition to the action of the circulatory pump.
- a combination of the circulatory pump with a heater was used for controlling the ink temperature, and the ink temperature was set at 35° C. and controlled with a thermostat.
- the circulatory pump was further used as stirrer for preventing precipitation and aggregation.
- the ink flow course was provided with a conductance measuring device, and according to output signals from the device, concentration control of the ink was carried out by diluting the ink or feeding concentrated ink.
- concentration control of the ink was carried out by diluting the ink or feeding concentrated ink.
- the same aluminum plate as described above was used as a printing plate precursor, and fixed to the plate cylinder of the lithographic printing apparatus in the same manner as described above. Dust on the surface of the printing plate precursor was removed with a rotating brush made of nylon. Then, the image data to be printed was transmitted to an arithmetic and control unit.
- Image forming was carried out by ejecting the oil-based ink from the full-line head onto the aluminum printing plate precursor while rotating the plate cylinder, thereby forming an image thereon.
- dust on the printing plate was optically sensed to produce an output signal by which dust was removed from the surface of the printing plate with a rotating brush made of nylon.
- An abnormal current flowing through the head was sensed to monitor the attachment of foreign matters to the head.
- the relative vibration of the head and the plate cylinder was sensed by an accelerometer mounted thereon, whereby the supply of recording signal into the head was suspended whenever any abnormality occurred.
- the image thus formed on the printing plate precursor had no defects due to dust, and deterioration of image quality due to a change in dot size was not observed at all even when the ambient temperature varied during the plate-making procedure and the number of printing plates prepared with the apparatus was increased. In other words, satisfactory plate-making was accomplished.
- vibration was forced onto the apparatus. As a result, the application of voltage to the head was temporarily suspended to stop image recording. When vibration ended, image recording was resumed. Thus, satisfactory plate-making was accomplished. Subsequently, the image was subjected to heat roll fixing (produced by Hitachi Metals, Ltd.; power consumption: 1.2 kW) to solidify, thereby making a printing plate.
- the print obtained had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of image even after printing 10,000 sheets.
- the ejection head was cleaned by circulating Isopar G therethrough and then bringing nonwoven fabric impregnated with Isopar G into contact with the tip of the head. By this treatment, prints of good quality were provided for 6 months without any other work for maintenance.
- a full-line head as shown in FIG. 7 was mounted as an ejection head on the ink jet recording device of an on-press recording type four-color lithographic printing apparatus (see FIG. 10 ).
- the gap was adjusted to 0.8 mm.
- 5,000 sheets of printing plates were then prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the ink tank was replenished with a concentrated ink according to the number of sheets having image recorded thereon to control the ink concentration.
- a device for optically sensing dust in the apparatus was mounted. The output from the sensing device was used to make suction on the surface of the printing plate material by an air pump. The image thus formed on the printing plate precursor showed no defects due to dust and was not affected by the change of the ambient temperature.
- the print after printing 10,000 sheets had a very clear full-color image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- the fixing time in heat roll fixing or fixing by irradiation with light from a halogen lamp was drastically reduced by wrapping a heat insulating material (PET film) around the plate cylinder.
- PET film heat insulating material
- the aluminum substrate was grounded through an electrically-conductive brush (Thunderlon, produced by Tuchiya K.K.; resistance: about 10 ⁇ 1 ⁇ -cm) which comes in contact therewith.
- printing plates were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that as the printing paper there was used high-quality paper.
- the image was made solid on some area due to paper dust.
- a device for optically sensing dust in the apparatus was mounted. The output from the sensing device was used to allow an air suction pump installed in the vicinity of the paper supplier to operate as a paper dust generation inhibiting device. Then, printing was resumed. As a result, no defectives in printing occurred.
- the print after printing 5,000 sheets had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image. However, the print after printing 5,000 sheets showed a longitudinal elongation of 0.1 mm on A3 size image.
- Example 2 The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed, except that the printing plate precursor was replaced with a printing plate precursor provided with an image-receiving layer capable of being rendered hydrophilic upon an oil-desensitizing treatment described below, the non-image area of the printing plate prepared was rendered hydrophilic using a plate surface oil-desensitizing device, the conductive layer of the printing plate precursor was grounded by contact with a conductive leaf spring (made of phosphor bronze) during the recording operation, and fixing was carried out by exposing the printing plate precursor to hot air.
- a conductive leaf spring made of phosphor bronze
- High-quality paper having a basis weight of 100 g/m 2 was used as a substrate and, on both sides of the substrate, a polyethylene film was laminated in a thickness of 20 ⁇ m to form a water-resistant paper support.
- a coating for conductive layer having the following composition was coated in a dry coating amount of 10 g/m 2 to form a conductive layer and further thereon Dispersion B prepared in the manner indicated below was coated in a dry coating amount of 15 g/m 2 to form an image-receiving layer, thereby preparing a printing plate precursor.
- the print after printing 5,000 sheets had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- a large number of prints having clear images can be provided. Further, a printing plate of high image quality is directly formed on the press corresponding to digital image data in a stable manner, making it possible to conduct lithographic printing at a low cost and a high speed.
- An oil-based ink was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1.
- An ink tank of an ink jet recording device of an on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus (see FIGS. 1 and 2; free of cleaning device 60 but comprising a head protective device 20 ) was filled with 2 liters of Oil-Based Ink (IK-1) thus prepared.
- IK-1 Oil-Based Ink
- a 900 dpi 64-channel multiple channel head as shown in FIG. 4 was used as an ejection head.
- the head was housed in a cover with a shutter shown in FIG. 13 .
- the head was moved forward to the image recording position with the shutter open only during image recording.
- a dust sensing device was installed to prevent damage on the head during the occurrence of abnormality.
- a drop-in type heater and stirring blades were installed for controlling the ink temperature in the ink tank.
- the ink temperature was set at 30° C., and temperature control was carried out with a thermostat while rotating the stirring blades at 30 r.p.m. Rotation of the stirring blades was also utilized for preventing precipitation and aggregation. Further, a portion of the ink flow course was made transparent, which portion was arranged between a light emission diode (LED) and a light detector.
- the concentration control of the ink was carried out by feeding diluent for the ink (Isoper G) or concentrated ink (the solid concentration of which was adjusted to twice that of Oil-Based Ink (IK-1)) according to the output of the light detector.
- An aluminum plate having a thickness of 0.12 mm which had been subjected to graining and anodizing treatment was used as a printing plate precursor.
- the printing plate precursor was mounted on the plate cylinder with the head and end thereof being gripped by a mechanical device provided on the plate cylinder. With the dampening water supplier, the printing ink supplier and the blanket cylinder being separated from the printing plate precursor, dust on the printing plate precursor surface was removed by air-pump suction. Then, the ejection head was moved close to the printing plate precursor until it reached the recording position. Image data to be printed was transmitted to an arithmetic and control unit.
- Example 6 The same on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus as used in Example 6 was used except that as a stirrer there was used a circulating pump and a 600 dpi full-line ink jet head as shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 9 was installed.
- the head was housed in a cover with a shutter as in Example 6.
- an abnormal current sensing device was installed.
- the pump was used in the present example.
- One ink reservoir was arranged between the pump and the ink flow-in course of the ejection head, and another ink reservoir was arranged between the ink recovery course of the ejection head and the ink tank.
- Dust on the surface of the printing plate precursor was removed with a rotating brush made of nylon. Then, the image data to be printed was transmitted to an arithmetic and control unit. Image forming was carried out by ejecting the oil-based ink from the full-line head onto the aluminum printing plate precursor while rotating the plate cylinder, thereby forming an image thereon.
- the image thus formed on the printing plate precursor had no defects due to dust, and deterioration of image quality due to a change in dot size was not observed at all even when the ambient temperature varied during the plate-making procedure and the number of printing plates prepared with the apparatus was increased. In other words, satisfactory plate-making was accomplished. No damage on the head was observed.
- the print obtained had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of image even after printing 10,000 sheets.
- the ejection head was cleaned by circulating Isopar G therethrough and then bringing nonwoven fabric impregnated with Isopar G into contact with the tip of the head. By this treatment, prints of good quality were provided for 3 months without any other work for maintenance.
- a full-line head as shown in FIG. 6 was mounted as an ejection head on the ink jet recording device of an on-press recording type four-color lithographic printing apparatus (see FIG. 10 ). using a contact roller made of Teflon, the gap was adjusted to 0.8 mm.
- 5,000 sheets of printing plates were then prepared in the same manner as in Example 6 except that the ink tank was replenished with a concentrated ink according to the number of sheets having image recorded thereon to control the ink concentration. As a result, the image thus formed on the printing plate precursor was not affected by the change of the ambient temperature. No damage on the head was observed. As the number of sheets of printing plates made increased, the diameter of dots printed showed some but an acceptable change.
- the printing plates thus made were also subjected to flash fixing as mentioned above, heat roll fixing (produced by Hitachi Metals, Ltd.; power consumption: 1.2 kW), fixing by irradiation with light from a halogen lamp (Type QIR, produced by USHIO INC. ), or fixing with spray of ethyl acetate.
- the heat roll fixing or fixing by irradiation with a halogen lamp heating was effected so that the temperature of the surface of the printing plate reached 95° C. for 20 seconds.
- the amount of ethyl acetate sprayed was adjusted to about 1 g/m 2 .
- the print after printing 10,000 sheets had a very clear full-color image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- the fixing time in heat roll fixing or fixing by irradiation with light from a halogen lamp was drastically reduced by wrapping a heat insulating material (PET film) around the plate cylinder.
- PET film heat insulating material
- the aluminum substrate was grounded through an electrically-conductive brush (Thunderlon, produced by Tuchiya K.K.; resistance: about 10 ⁇ 1 ⁇ -cm) which comes in contact therewith.
- Example 6 The procedure of Example 6 was followed except that the aluminum printing plate precursor was replaced by a paper printing plate precursor comprising a hydrophilic image-receiving layer provided on the surface thereof.
- High-quality paper having a basis weight of 100 g/m 2 was used as a substrate and, on both sides of the substrate, a water-resistant layer comprising as main ingredients kaolin and resin components, including polyvinyl alcohol, SBR latex and melamine resin, was provided to form a paper support.
- the dispersion A prepared in the same manner as in Example 4 was applied to the paper support in a dry coating amount of 6 g/m 2 to form an image-receiving layer, thereby preparing a paper printing plate precursor.
- the print after printing 5,000 sheets had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- a large number of prints having clear images can be provided. Further, a printing plate of high image quality is directly formed on the press corresponding to digital image data in a stable manner, making it possible to conduct lithographic printing at a low cost and a high speed.
- An ink tank of an ink jet recording device of an on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus (see FIGS. 1 and 2; comprising a cleaning device 60 but free of head protective device 20 ) was filled with 2 liters of Oil-Based Ink (IK-1) thus prepared.
- IK-1 Oil-Based Ink
- a 900 dpi 64-channel multiple channel head as shown in FIG. 3 was used as an ejection head.
- a drop-in type heater and stirring blades were installed for controlling the ink temperature in the ink tank. The ink temperature was set at 30° C., and temperature control was carried out with a thermostat while rotating the stirring blades at 30 r.p.m. Rotation of the stirring blades was also utilized for preventing precipitation and aggregation.
- a voltage of 2.5 kV was always applied as a bias voltage, and a pulse voltage of 500 V was further superimposed for each ejection of ink.
- the duration of pulse voltage was changed stepwise from 0.2 millisecond to 0.05 millisecond in 256 steps, thereby changing the dot area for recording.
- the image thus formed on the printing plate precursor had no defects due to dust, and deterioration of image quality due to a change in dot size was not observed at all even when the ambient temperature varied during the plate-making procedure and the number of printing plates prepared with the apparatus was increased. In other words, satisfactory plate-making was accomplished.
- the image formed on the printing plate precursor was hardened by heating with a xenon flash fixing device (made by USHIO INC.) under a luminous intensity of 200 J/pulse, thereby preparing a printing plate. Then, the ink jet recording device was moved away together with the subsidiary scanner from the position close to the plate cylinder and kept apart at a distance of 50 mm from the plate cylinder for the purpose of protecting the ejection head. Thereafter, printing was effected on printing coated paper using an ordinary lithographic printing method. In some detail, a printing ink and a dampening water were given to the printing plate to form a printing image thereon. The printing ink image thus formed was then transferred to the blanket cylinder rotating together with the plate cylinder. Subsequently, the printing ink image on the blanket cylinder was transferred to a printing coated paper passing through the gap between the blanket cylinder and the impression cylinder.
- a xenon flash fixing device made by USHIO INC.
- the tip of the ejection head was dipped in Isopar G under the application of a 1 kV positive dc voltage for 30 seconds. By this treatment, prints of good quality were provided for 6 months without any other work for maintenance.
- Example 11 The same on-press recording type lithographic printing apparatus as used in Example 11 was used except that as a stirrer there was used a circulating pump and a 600 dpi full-line ink jet head as shown in FIG. 5 was installed.
- the pump was used in the present example.
- One ink reservoir was arranged between the pump and the ink flow-in course of the ejection head, and another ink reservoir was arranged between the ink recovery course of the ejection head and the ink tank.
- the ink was circulated by the difference in hydrostatic pressure between those reservoirs in addition to the action of the circulatory pump.
- a combination of the circulatory pump with a heater was used for controlling the ink temperature, and the ink temperature was set at 35° C. and controlled with a thermostat.
- the circulatory pump was further used as stirrer for preventing precipitation and aggregation.
- the ink flow course was provided with a conductance measuring device, and according to output signals from the device, concentration control of the ink was carried out by diluting the ink or feeding concentrated ink.
- concentration control of the ink was carried out by diluting the ink or feeding concentrated ink.
- the same aluminum plate as described above was used as a printing plate precursor, and fixed to the plate cylinder of the lithographic printing apparatus in the same manner as described above. Dust on the surface of the printing plate precursor was removed with a rotating brush made of nylon. Then, the image data to be printed was transmitted to an arithmetic and control unit.
- Image forming was carried out by ejecting the oil-based ink from the full-line head onto the aluminum printing plate precursor while rotating the plate cylinder, thereby forming an image thereon.
- the image thus formed on the printing plate precursor had no defects due to dust, and deterioration of image quality due to a change in dot size was not observed at all even when the ambient temperature varied during the plate-making procedure and the number of printing plates prepared with the apparatus was increased. In other words, satisfactory plate-making was accomplished. Subsequently, the image was subjected to heat roll fixing (produced by Hitachi Metals, Ltd.; power consumption: 1.2 kW) to solidify, thereby making a printing plate.
- the print obtained had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of image even after printing 10,000 sheets.
- the tip of the ejection head was dipped in Isopar G under the application of a 1 kv positive dc voltage for 30 seconds. By this treatment, prints of good quality were provided for 6 months without any other work for maintenance.
- a full-line head as shown in FIG. 7 was mounted as an ejection head on the ink jet recording device of an on-press recording type four-color lithographic printing apparatus. Using a contact roller made of Teflon, the gap was adjusted to 0.8 mm. 5,000 sheets of printing plates were then prepared in the same manner as in Example 11 except that the ink tank was replenished with a concentrated ink according to the number of sheets having image recorded thereon to control the ink concentration. As a result, the image thus formed on the printing plate precursor showed no defects due to dust and was not affected by the change of the ambient temperature. As the number of sheets of printing plates made increased, the diameter of dots printed showed some but an acceptable change.
- the printing plates thus made were also subjected to flash fixing as mentioned above, fixing by irradiation with light from a halogen lamp (Type QIR, produced by USHIO INC.), or fixing with spray of ethyl acetate.
- a halogen lamp Type QIR, produced by USHIO INC.
- heating was effected so that the temperature of the surface of the printing plate reached 95° C. for 20 seconds.
- the amount of ethyl acetate sprayed was adjusted to about 1 g/m 2 .
- the print after printing 10,000 sheets had a very clear full-color image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- the fixing time in heat roll fixing or fixing by irradiation with light from a halogen lamp was drastically reduced by wrapping a heat insulating material (PET film) around the plate cylinder.
- PET film heat insulating material
- the aluminum substrate was grounded through an electrically-conductive brush (Thunderlon, produced by Tuchiya K.K.; resistance: about 10 ⁇ 1 ⁇ -cm) which comes in contact therewith.
- the tip of the ejection head was cleaned by dipping in Isopar G under the application of a 0.8 kv positive dc voltage having a 0.3 kv 50 Hz ac voltage imposed thereon for 10 seconds.
- Example 1 The procedure of Example 1 was followed except that the aluminum printing plate precursor of Example 11 was replaced by a paper printing plate precursor comprising a hydrophilic image-receiving layer provided on the surface thereof.
- High-quality paper having a basis weight of 100 g/m 2 was used as a substrate and, on both sides of the substrate, a water-resistant layer comprising as main ingredients kaolin and resin components, including polyvinyl alcohol, SBR latex and melamine resin, was provided to form a paper support.
- a dispersion A prepared in the same manner as in Example 4 was applied to the paper support in a dry coating amount of 6 g/m 2 to form an image-receiving layer, thereby preparing a paper printing plate precursor.
- the print after printing 10,000 sheets had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- printing plates were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that as the printing paper there was used high-quality paper.
- the image was made solid on some area due to paper dust.
- an air suction pump was installed as a paper dust generation inhibiting device in the vicinity of the paper supplier.
- printing was resumed.
- the print after printing 5,000 sheets had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- the print after printing 5,000 sheets showed a longitudinal elongation of 0.1 mm on A3size image.
- the tip of the ejection head was dried by a dryer.
- Example 11 The same procedure as in Example 11 was performed, except that the printing plate precursor was replaced with a printing plate precursor provided with an image-receiving layer capable of being rendered hydrophilic upon an oil-desensitizing treatment described below, the non-image area of the printing plate prepared was rendered hydrophilic using a plate surface oil-desensitizing device, the conductive layer of the printing plate precursor was grounded by contact with a conductive leaf spring (made of phosphor bronze) during the recording operation, and fixing was carried out by exposing the printing plate precursor to hot air.
- a conductive leaf spring made of phosphor bronze
- High-quality paper having a basis weight of 100 g/m 2 was used as a substrate and, on both sides of the substrate, a polyethylene film was laminated in a thickness of 20 ⁇ m to form a water-resistant paper support.
- a coating for conductive layer prepared in the same manner as in Example 10 was coated in a dry coating amount of 10 g/m 2 to form a conductive layer and further thereon Dispersion B prepared in the manner indicated below was coated in a dry coating amount of 15 g/m 2 to form an image-receiving layer, thereby preparing a printing plate precursor.
- the print after printing 5,000 sheets had a very clear image without the occurrence of fading or sharpening of the printed image.
- the tip of the recording head was cleaned by dipping in isopropanol under the application of a 0.5 kV ac voltage for 20 seconds. By this treatment, prints of good quality were provided for 6 months without any other work for maintenance.
- a large number of prints having clear images can be provided. Further, a printing plate of high image quality is directly formed on the press corresponding to digital image data in a stable manner, making it possible to conduct lithographic printing at a low cost and a high speed.
Abstract
Description
Dispersion A |
Gelatin (1st grade, produced by | 3 | g | ||
Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) | ||||
Colloidal silica (Snowtex C; produced | 20 | g | ||
by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.; | ||||
20% aqueous solution) | ||||
Silica gel (Silysya #310, produced by | 7 | g | ||
Fuji Silysya Chemical Co., Ltd.) | ||||
Hardener (paraformaldehyde) | 0.4 | g | ||
Distilled water | 100 | g | ||
Claims (4)
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JP13589599A JP2000326478A (en) | 1999-05-17 | 1999-05-17 | Lithographic printing method and lithographic printing device |
JP11-135895 | 1999-05-17 | ||
JP35936099A JP2001171071A (en) | 1999-12-17 | 1999-12-17 | Method and apparatus for on-press imaging lithographic printing |
JP11-359360 | 1999-12-17 | ||
JP2000007064A JP2001191478A (en) | 2000-01-14 | 2000-01-14 | On-machine image-drawing lithographic printing method and on-machine image-drawing lithographic printing device |
JP2000-007064 | 2000-01-14 |
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US6513434B1 true US6513434B1 (en) | 2003-02-04 |
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US09/572,433 Expired - Fee Related US6513434B1 (en) | 1999-05-17 | 2000-05-17 | On-press recording type lithographic printing method and apparatus |
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US20050051043A1 (en) * | 2003-09-09 | 2005-03-10 | Hojjati Seyed H. | Lithographic ink obviating fountain additives |
US20050143491A1 (en) * | 2003-12-26 | 2005-06-30 | Fuji Photo Film., Ltd. | Ink composition for ink jet recording, manufacturing method of the same, and ink jet recording method |
US20070084373A1 (en) * | 2005-10-13 | 2007-04-19 | Man Roland Druckmaschinen Ag | Method for imaging printing formes |
US20070296787A1 (en) * | 2006-06-22 | 2007-12-27 | Satoshi Masumi | Ink-jet printer and image forming method |
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